Metropolitan Sawa: Polish Сhurch supports UOC independence

Metropolitan Sawa of Warsaw and All Poland said that he supported the need for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to become independent.

The website of the Polish Orthodox Church published a Message by Metropolitan Sawa, in which he explained his congratulatory letter to Patriarch Kirill by saying that he condemns the war in Ukraine and does not share the words and opinion of the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church on this issue, as he believes that the position of Patriarch Kirill “does not serve to restore peace in Ukraine and negatively affects the perception of Orthodoxy”.

His Beatitude stressed that both he personally and the episcopate, clergy and faithful of the POC " support the Ukrainian Nation in its pursuit of regaining full freedom, sovereignty and integrity of the country".

" From the very beginning of the war, as evidenced by the statements of individual Bishops and all official documents of St. During the Council of the Polish Autocephalous Orthodox Church sitting under my leadership, we supported and continue to support the need for the Orthodox Church in Ukraine to become independent," wrote Metropolitan Sawa.

He recalled that he repeatedly appealed to Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople " to convene a Meeting of the Local Heads of the Orthodox Churches in order to make a general Orthodox decision on this matter, resolving the difficult canonical situation, in order to avoid further splits in Orthodoxy”.

Vladyka also stressed that from the very beginning of the war, the Polish Church has been involved in providing material, pastoral and moral aid to refugees from Ukraine, " as evidenced by the activity of the Orthodox Charity Center "Eleos", both at the church-wide and diocesan level".

As earlier reported, the Primate of the Polish Orthodox Church believes that the head of the Phanar "has a hard time making decisions" on Ukraine.